Abuja to host World Economic Forum on Africa next month amid tight security

Abuja to host World Economic Forum on Africa next month amid tight security NIGERIA is to host next month's World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa in Abuja in an event which the government wants to use as an opportunity to showcase its newly acquired status as the largest economy on the continent. Earlier this month, Nigeria was officially declared Africa's largest economy after figures showed that the country had a gross domestic product of $453bn in 2012 compared with South Africa's $384bn. Last year’s WEF on Africa was held in Cape Town, South Africa but this year's event will be used by the Jonathan administration to portray Nigeria as an investment-friendly country. Due to take place between May 7 and 9, African heads of state and business leaders with gather at the event to discuss ways of attracting investment into the continent. Already, the Nigerian government has pledged to deploy more than 6,000 police and soldiers to protect the summit. Coming on the back of a recent bomb attack thought to have been carried out by Boko Haram in Abuja in which about 75 people were killed at a crowded bus station, news of the security detail has angered local residents. Some of them have questioned why the government should give priority to ensuring no harm came to high-profile visitors while it was failing to guarantee the daily security of its own citizens. Ahead of elections next February, President Goodluck Jonathan is under pressure to contain the five-year insurrection, with former vice president Atiku Abubakar, urging the government to accept foreign help in fighting terrorism. He called on the Jonathan administration to use increased and improved intelligence methods to detect and pre-empt Boko Haram attacks. Local businesswoman Dorothy Ajunobi, said: “If the government can adequately protect participants to a forum, they should be able to protect Nigerian citizens or otherwise it will now be clear this insecurity in Nigeria is political.” Computer operator Ajayi Ademola, added: "They should protect us first and people will be attracted to come to Nigeria.” Finance minister Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said: “Our security planning for the World Economic Forum on Africa is already well under way and will be the largest security operation ever mounted in this country for an international summit.” She added that security personnel would secure an area of 250 square kilometres around the event. Visiting the scene of the bombing on Monday, President Jonathan implored Nigerians to be more vigilant and called the threat from Boko Haram temporary. Boko Haram militants are increasingly targeting civilians they accuse of collaborating with the government or security forces and it is estimated that the conflict has led to the death of more than 2,000 people in the past six months alone. - See more at: http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news